>> this is "bbc world news america" reporting from washington. the crisis and syria heads to the country's second city of aleppo. who was behind a double bomb attack? rising up against austerity measures in athens. as the cuts are deeper, the people of greece say enough is enough. the sports of polo takes a turn in china where a growing class of millionaires is saddling up. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. the violence in serious spread even further today when two

explosions went off in the city of aleppo killing 28 people. this is the first attack on the northern city since demonstrations against president assad began a year ago. the government is blaming armed terrorist gangs but opposition activists are pointing fingers at the assad regime. >> a gaping crater where one of the bombs went off in aleppo. outside of a base. mangled wreckage suggests the blast. even armored cars were destroyed and a grim toll of dead and wounded. we were with the journalist shown are round here by syrian government officials who passed the blame on what they called terrorist gangs. >> these criminal acts committed by those groups will not prevent us from continuing our efforts

in order to crush terrorists in this city. >> no one has claimed responsibility and rebel activists blamed a government plot designed, they said, to discredit the opposition. >> and the explosions reported by syrian television, we can say that they were ready to film it immediately. we hold the responsibility entirely at the hands of the syrian regime. >> all morning, syrian state tv reported from both bomb sites, the other at a military intelligence complex. this reinforces president assad's claims that he is out against terrorists trying to tear the country apart. on ominous thought for syrians still loyal to him. until recently, the turmoil has been absent from damascus and

aleppo. both the big cities where people might be worried that without president assad, life could be worse. sunni arabs have been excluded from powers and they have a lot to gain from change. another minority worries that without the assad family in charge, they would be left out. also questions are concerned about a new syria. meanwhile in homs, more amateur footage of continued shelling by government forces. these satellite images allegedly of other military deployments towards homs and other towns. another worrying sign. >> for more on the violence unfolding inside of syria and where the arabs spring stands

one year after egypt's president was driven from power. i spoke to a professor at on arab politics at georgetown university. the violence is escalating on a daily basis and we are hearing a lot of talk but not much action. what can be done at this stage, if anything, to stop the violence? >> i don't think that the violence will stop. the pressure on the syrian regime has not been effective, either by the arab league or the international community. in fact, what people are speaking about is actively farming -- arming the syrian opposition and coordinating the opposition so that they can form an effective at front against the regime. hopefully that will influence people to defect or cause some negotiations. >> who should be responsible for

arming the opposition and aren't we in danger of a proxy war? >> of course. there is debate whether that is the best course of action and whether more civilians will be killed as a result. there are some countries in the region, particularly in the arab or persian gulf that have entertained those ideas and their are some calls for that in washington, d.c. as well. doing that is another matter but there is also talk about not recognizing the bashar al-assad regime in the arab league and recognizing the syrian opposition. these are the types of things we are likely to see. >> and turning to the arabs bring in a more general context, what hahave they achieved? in egypt, we have demonstrations calling for the overthrow of the ruling council.

it looks like nothing has really changed. >> that is not true. there has been a certain amount of change. there has been a change in syria, tunisia, egypt. in egypt, mubarak had been removed but the system is still there. we have seen major protests in yemen that have produced some change. of course, there were major protests in bahrain that were met with tremendous repression and of course syria is a part of that. the arab spring or the arab uprising has achieved a tremendous amount. the removal of dictators in tunisia, libya, egypt. it is a question of time. >> revolution is one thing but what comes next? this will be a question for syria as well. >> yes, there is no question about that. some states are having an easier time. tunisia, where the military has

been removed from the political scene and they're working out what the democratic politics will look like. in egypt, the situation is much more difficult because the military is still there. in libya, the situation is different because of the lack of political institutions that are viable and beginning from scratch. very outcomes, different degrees of difficulty, but overall there is no question this has been a positive thing. >> thank you very much for coming in. >> you are welcome. >> moving to greece where the government has agreed to a bill which would commit the country to deep cuts that european leaders are demanding in return for a second round of bailout funds. this has provoked demonstrations on athens where protesters clashed with riot police. >> another day, another protest in athens.

tempers are flaring again. things are getting desperate. five years of recession, salaries shrinking, taxes rising. no wonder many greeks feel like they are being pushed right to the edge. >> a worker will not be able to live off with the salaries mandated by the new measures. a large number of people will lose their jobs and even a working citizen will not manage to get by. >> whatever measures are taken, i think they are a disgrace. people are very upset and i have no idea what this situation will lead to. >> now, they are being asked for more sacrifices. ministers have resigned in protest. this time, the country needs to do what ever is required in order for the bailout agreement to proceed. >> it is obvious that whoever disagrees cannot remain in the government.

>> eurozone finance ministers have late down the lot -- meet our terms, implement the promises, or there is no deal. -- eurozone finance ministers have laid down the law. courts the decisions that they make will determine the prospects of the country and its people -- >> the decision is that they make will determine the prospects of the country and its people. >> the headlines make grim reading. under any new agreement, they would be monitored much more closely by eu officials. sovereignty is being whittled away. the trouble is that even if the elements come together, more austerity, a second bailout, and private banks writing off debt, it is still unlikely that the debt burden will be anywhere

near sustainable. that means even more money needs to be found. there is no one lining up to pay. it is because there is a real lack of trust if greece is willing or able to implement such tough reforms. the trust lost is not easily regained. >> on the island nation of maldives, the political drama is deepening after the deposed president has called for fresh elections. his successor quickly declined the calls for new polls that now a u.n. envoy is in the country trying to resolve the political deadlock which has triggered several days of protests. >> a show of force. soldiers outside of the main mosque as worshipers gathered for friday prayers. among them was the island's a

former president, mohamed nasheed. afterwards, he came out to a hero's reception to his supporters. officially, he is facing arrest, but for now he is still a free man. yet again, the maldives political crisis was played out in the streets of the capital. you can see the kind of reception that the former president is still able to get. this is just after friday prayers. a huge crowd has come out on the streets to show their support. the maldives first democratically elected leader is warning of street protests if the new rulers don't compromise. >> this is obviously a to put right now, to reinstate it not be possible. that is not what i'm calling for. -- this is obviously a coup. right now, to reinstate would

not be possible. >> first of all, the need for calm, the need for an end to political violence. otherwise, the requirement from an independent review of what has taken place here over the next few days. >> for now, the tourists are still flying in for their slice of paradise. as the political situation goes on, the chance for violence is a risk. >> in other news, the pakistani prime minister is expected to appear before the supreme court on monday. it rejected his appeal against the charge of contempt of court. he is accused of failing to reopen a corruption case against the president. the case dates back 10 years to the time that the president and his late wife, benazir bhutto, were convicted in switzerland of

laundering millions of dollars in kickbacks. a court in frankfurt has handed down a life sentence to a man from kosovo who confessed to shooting dead two u.s. airmen last year. he is an ethnic albanian who was born in kosovo but grew up in germany. the servicemen were attacked at the airport last month -- last march. a man has been convicted and will serve 13 years for passing secrets to the cia. now, to the event which brought three of the presidential contenders off the campaign trail and here to washington. before a packed crowd, rick santorum, mitt romney, and newt gingrich all had a lot riding on their speeches for this critical voting bloc, but perhaps none

more than romney who made this contrasts with president obama. >> as i say across this country, this election really is a battle about the soul for america and it will come down to a choice. a choice between whether we want a nation to be of and by washington or a nation of and by a free people. wheat conservatives believe in freedom and free people and free enterprise is. >> it did mitt romney do enough to quiet the critics? i discussed that with a political analyst for msnbc. we have heard from me say all of this before. -- we have heard mitt romney say all of this before. he did not say anything new. has he done enough? did he appeal to the conservative base? >> we don't know. we will know when super tuesday sweeps across the country. we saw the tape of mitt romney confessing his conservatism.

there is a lot of tape of him pulling away from his conservatism when he was running against ted kennedy in massachusetts. we have these two conflicting romneys out there that's a very different things. >> if he goes too far to the right, he risks losing the support of independent voters and risks the general election. >> he is a perfect general election candidate in many ways because he is perceived to be moderate, the problem is that he is having a hard time getting to the primaries. the interesting silver lining is that we look at his margins in the states he has won in new hampshire, florida. those are battleground states. it goes back to my argument that he is a wonderful general election candidate, his problem is that he cannot get out of the gate with conservatives. >> there is the controversy over birth control.

president obama today was forced to compromise over plans to make employers provide free birth control for women, regardless of the employers faith. is this a white house ms. stepp just as the administration was being buoyed by some pretty good economic news? >> yes, they really bungled this. in this country, religious pluralism is a big deal for social conservatives. particularly the catholic church. you should not force any religious organization to go against their conscience and that is what the original policy did and that is why we see this shift in policies. >> these ideological issues, will they be what voters will be pinning their hopes on when they go to the ballot box? >> this is still the economy. that is why mitt romney is the

best front runner for the republicans right now. >> you are watching "bbc world news america," still to come -- nearly a year after the uprising in bahrain, we see how opposition groups are trying to make their voices heard. as britain prepares to celebrate queen elizabeth diamond jubilee come into the grass have emerged of the royal family taken more than 60 years ago. we report on the rare images and why they are coming to light now. >> a first glimpse inside a very private album. prince charles dudley his sister and already revealing and interest in horticulture. it seems it might have been a tiring photo shoot for the prince, but some light relief with their toys and books. >> i said, just wave. they did.

>> these are wonderful memories 40 photographers family who is releasing these flood us. he even took one for himself with the children in the mirror. >> he was always worried that he had done it but he took the chance. i think he was pleased with the picture. >> the collection includes this, this is believed to be the first formal photograph of elizabeth as queen. it was used for an official portrait. imagine coming here in 1952. your job is to photograph the new monarch. she was a young mother coming to terms with her official role. as part of the jubilee celebrations, more and more material like this is being released to giving us a rare insight into her private life.

one experts said that this collection is unique. >> in this picture of the queen, she is made to look like a film star. >> so secrets are the photos that they had been hidden for six decades. now, they are a perfect souvenir for the diamond jubilee. >> in bahrain, it has been almost a year since opposition groups occupied the square in the capital demanding change. unlike the movements in libya, tunisia, and egypt, the regime remains in place. although the protest movement has been largely pushed out of the capital, it is still attracting support. >> it is nighttime and in this district outside the capital, crowds are slowly moving along the streets.

the people are heading to this anti-government demonstration. opposition rallies may be allowed, they certainly have an air of a rock concert about them, but they are very serious. underneath, there are some heartfelt stories being told. take this human rights activist who has been to jail where he says he was beaten. a visit to his house reveals windows that have been smashed in attacks by security forces. >> now, we see the high rate of unemployment, a high rate of people with no houses. you see a high rate of people with no nationality. >> pro-government forces say the economy has not been greatly affected by the protests. some businesses have relocated to a nearby areas, others are

filling the void. >> we were looking for a regulatory framework that was offered by the central bank of bahrain. they have an excellent infrastructure. the proximity to saudi arabia is definitely another reason. >> are around the financial district, there is anecdotal evidence that the economy is suffering. building projects look stalled. in the streets of the capital, tourists are markedly absent. those that supported the opposition have lost their jobs. this woman has a ph.d. in economics and was fired for her association with the protest movement. our husband was jailed by the police. >> my husband came home for lunch and he left and he was ambushed and kidnapped from the car park. he was gone for 10 months. he was sentenced to three years

in a military court. i had very little access to him. he was tortured severely. he still has his scars and wounds. >> with the anniversary coming, it is possible that the tension will come to the service once more. there is still a lot of unaddressed anchor in the poorer districts of bahrain. >> now, to the latest on our series on the super rich. despite the economic situation, many of the elite are in joining the high life. in china, a growing number of millionaires are looking to gain status and now sports are part of the quest. we went to the city that is the host of the most unusual polo tournament. >> of china is the new frontier. even in arctic conditions, there is an alert to the game.

organizers hope that the man on horseback can capture the middle kingdom. the developers are building a huge residential complex overlooking the field. they want polo to become the playground for the chinese millionaires. >> chinese people are very interested in sports. they don't know a lot about it. anytime that we introduce a sport that is exciting and has a very high status elsewhere in the world, you introduce this to a country with a big population. that is where we see the potential. >> there is also money to be made good with the economy still booming, the country's delete can afford it a lavish lifestyle. -- elite can afford a lavish lifestyle.

in a country like china, where status matters, this is really a selling point. polo might have a cachet, but it does not come cheap. membership fees can cost upwards of $60,000 here. that means only the super rich can afford to saddle up. despite the freezing temperatures, the horses are used. with this sort of planning, players here believe that a low as a bright future in china. >> well, certainly they have the infrastructure for it. they want people, they have interest in people who want to come to china. there is no reason why this should not take off. a former polo was played here over a thousand years ago. the sport has only been reintroduced. for many spectators here, this

is the first time to see the game. >> i think is very exciting and it should be promoted in the country. we are enjoying better living standards and we should see a wider choice. >> as china has become one rich, the wealthy have looked to the west for new ways to spend their money. they're hoping that polo will become the latest winter -- winner. >> that brings today's show to a close. on monday, we will have a special edition. >> i will be reporting live from mexico where 50,000 people have been killed in the war on drugs. the insecurity covers a surprising story of economic success. >> until then, we hope you have a great weekend. from all of us here at "bbc

world news america," thank you for watching. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding was made possible by -- the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu newman's own foundation and union bank. >> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard to understand the industry you operate in, working to nurture new ventures and provide capital for key strategic decisions. we offer expertise and tailored solutions in a wide range of industries. what can we do for you?

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